Refuse truck



July 8, 196.9 A. w. NELSON 3,4545174 REFUSE TRUCK Filed Aug. 24, 1966United States Patent O 3,454,174 REFUSE TRUCK Arthur W. Nelson, 276 LongIsland Ave., Wyandanch, N.Y. 11798 Continuation-impart of applicationSer. No. 442,702,

Mar. 25, 1965. This application Aug. 24, 1966, Ser.

Int. Cl. B65f 3/00; B66f 9/06 U.S. Cl. 214-83.3 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE This application constitutes a continuation in part of myapplication Ser. No. 442,702, led Mar. 25, 1965, now Patent No.3,355,044, for a Refuse Truck.

This present invention relates to a refuse truck having a hopperprovided with a compacting element and in particular to means foractuating said compacting element.

Conventional refuse trucks are provided with hoppers having a compactingelement actuat'able by hydraulic means. The compacting element -isgenerally located in the lower end of the hopper. Uncompacted refuseloaded into the hopper is compacted by the compacting element -andtransported from the hopper into the refuse storage body of the truck.In a given hopper it is desirable to accommodate as large a quantity ofrefuse as the dimensions of the lhopper will allow without interferingwith either the compacting element or the hydraulic means for actuatingthe compacting element. Conventional hydraulic means require .generousVolumes of hopper space, thereby limiting the space available foruncompacted refuse. Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the hoppervolume needed to accommodate the hydraulic means, thereby increasing the-uncompacted refuse charge that can be handled by a given hopper.

An object of the present invention is t-o provide a compact:space-saving actuating means for actuating compacting elements ofrefuse trucks.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill Ibe readily appreciated as the same becomes Ibetter understood byreferences to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings in ywhich like referencenumerals ldesignate like parts throughout the figures thereof andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation View of a refuse truck showing the relativelocation of' the actuating means pursuant to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the actuating means taken substantially alongthe line 2--2 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the actuating means in thecontracted position.

3,454,174 Patented July 8, 1969 ice FIGURE 3 is a top view similar toFIGURE 2 illustrating the actuating means in the expanded position.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation View of the actuating means takensubstantially along `the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is partial diagrammatic view of a refuse truck hopper having acompacting element.

FIGURE 6 is a schematic view of actuating means shown in FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference charactersvdesignate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,there is shown -in FIGURE 1 a refuse truck 20 which includes a chassis21. A cab 22 is mounted on the front end of the chassis. A refusestorage body 23 mounted on the rear end of the chassis adjacent to thecab 22 is provided with an open end 24 remote from the cab 22. A tailgate hopper 25 is pivoted to the body 23 and disposed to cover anduncover the opening 24.

The hopper 25 is a substantially rectangular container having itslongitudinal laxis oriented in the vertical position. The hopper 25`comprises a top -wall 30, a bottom Iwall 31 'opposing the top wall,opposing left 32 and right 33 side wall extending between the top andbottom walls, a rear wall 34 enclosing the end of the hopper 25 remotefrom the body 23, and a partial front Wall 35 e11- cl=osing the en'd ofthe hopper.adjacent to the body 23. The front wall 35 forms an openingthrough which compacted refuse may be transported from the interior ofthe hopper 25 to the interior o'f the body 23. The top wall 30 isprovided with a pivot hinge 36. A complementary pivot hinge 37 connectedto the top of the body 23 mates with the -pivot hinge 36. A pivot pin 38engages the hinges 36 and 37 to hold the hopper 25 in place withcapacity for turning movement on the body 23. The hopper 25 is adaptedto be held in either a lowered position 26 so that refuse may [be loadedin the hopper and transported therefrom into the body 23, or a raisedposition 27 so that ref-use contained in the body may be unloadedtherefrom. The side walls 32 and 33 are each provided with hopperloading means comprising opposing movable covers 29 pivoted -to the sidewalls and disposed to cover and uncover side refuse loading openings inthe side walls. The covers are `adapted to be held in either a coveringor uncovering position by means well known in the art. In operation, thecovers 29 are held in the uncovering position thereof to allow refuse tobe loaded through the openings into the hopper 25, and in the coveringposition thereof when the truck is in motion. It should lbe understood,of course, that the hopper may be be provided with movable covers toconceal refuse loading opening otherwise located, as for example,openings described in my application Ser. No. 442,702, led Mar. 25,1965, now Patent No. 3,355,044.

As best shown in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, the tail gate hopper 25 is providedwith elevator means 40 comprising a substantially rectangular movableplatform 41 .having left 42 and right 43 opposing side walls extendingupwardly from the platform 41 and substantially normal thereto. Theelevator is in the form of a U-shaped receptacle within which refuse isloaded, compacted and transported. The elevator has a lowered position41 to which it is moved to allow uncompacted refuse to be loaded andcompacted therein, and a raised position 45 to which it is moved toallow the compacted refuse 46 to be discharged therefrom into thestorage body 23 of the truck. The elevator is adapted to be cyclicallymoved from the lowered position 44 thereof to the raised position 45thereof and returned therefrom to the lowered position 44 thereof byactuating means associated with the truck that are well known in theart. It should be understood, of course, that the hopper may be providedwith elevator means similar to the elevator means hereinbeforedescribed, as for example, elevators described in my application Ser.No. 442,702, filed Mar. 25, 1965, now Patent No. 3,355,044.

The hopper 25 is provided with compacting means 47 comprising asubstantially rectangular member or element movable between the sidewalls 42 and 43 of the elevator 40 when the elevator is in the loweredposition 44 thereof. The element 47 has a forward position I48 to whichit is retracted to allow uncompacted refuse to be loaded into theelevator 40, and a rearward position 49 to which yit is forciblyprojected to compact refuse loaded into the elevator. The element 47 isadapted to be cyclically moved from the retracted position 48 thereof tothe projected p0- sition 49 thereof and returned therefrom to theretracted position thereof by actuating means 60 associated with thetruck which will hereinafter be more fully described.

The hopper 25 is provided with discharge means 50 comprising asubstantially rectangular member or element movable between the sidewalls 42 and 43 of the elevator 40 when the elevator is in the raisedposition 45 thereof. The element 50 has a rearward position 51 to which`it is retracted until the elevator having a compacted load of refuse 46thereon is moved to the raised position 45 thereof, and a forwardposition 52 to which it is forcibly projected to discharge the compactedrefuse from the elevator 40` into the interior of the storage body 23.The element 50 is adapted to bef'cyclically moved from the retractedposition 51 thereof to the projected position 52 thereof and returnedtherefrom to the retracted position 51 thereof by actuating meansassociated with the truck that are well known in the art. It should beunderstood, of course, that the hopper may be provided with a dischargemember similar to the discharge member hereinbefore described, as forexample, discharge members described in my application Ser. No. 442,702,filed Mar. 25, 1965, now Patent No. 3,355,044.

As best shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the truck is provided with ahydraulically operated actuating assembly 60 for actuating thecompacting element `47. The assembly comprises a lazytongs linkagesystem 61 having one end 62 thereof supported by the truck 20 and theother end `63 thereof movably connected to the compacting element 47.Hydraulic means 70 associated with the truck 20 are adapted to impartmotion to the linkage system 61 which transmits ramming motion 62 to thecompacting element 47.

The lazytongs system 61 is of a pantograph type of linkage systemincluding long linkage members 65 and short linkage members 66 soconnected by means of a plurality of pivots that the link-age system isextensible to a maximum length substantially equal to the combinedlength of two of its long members 65 pivoted end to end, and isretractable to a minimum length substantially equal to the length of oneof its short members 66. The lazytongs linkage system 61 has a forwardend 62 and a rearward end 63. The rearward end 63 is connected to thecompacting element 47 by means of a series of ramming brackets 72mounted on the compacting element. The brackets 72 are provided withslots 73 which slidably receive pivot members 71 carried by the rearwardend 63. The forward end 62 is movably connected to the truck 20l andsupported thereby by means of a pedestal 82 preferably mounted on thechassis 21 of the truck. The pedestal 82 is provided with an anchoringpivot pin 85 which interconnects one side of the forward end 62 to thepedestal 82 and slide Ways 86 to slidably receive pivot members 87carried by the other side of the forward end 62. The supporting pedestal82 is also provided with a hydraulically operated piston assembly. Theassembly 83 in- 4 cludes a reciprocable piston 84 having one end thereofmovably connected to the linkage system 61 to impart motion thereto.Piston motion is translated by the linkage system 61 into forward andrearward motion of the compacting element 47.

It should be understood that although the linkage system, as shown inFIGURE 4, comprises a plurality of lazytongs interconnected to act as asingle assembly, and a plurality of ramming brackets are provided t0interconnect the compacting element to the lazytongs assembly, a singlelazytongs associated With a single bracket connected to the compactingelement would suffice for compacting some refuse loads. It is to beunderstood that the number of lazytongs and brackets used will depend onthe type of refuse being compacted and the degree of compactingrequired. Additionally, the words forward and rearward, as used indescribing the linkage assembly and motion thereof, are used inreference to the location of the pedestal-forward meaning toward thepedestal and rearward meaning away from the pedestal. The pedestal maybe located in the hopper of the truck, as shown in FIGURE 6, such thatforward motion of the compacting element would correspond to motiontowards the rear of the truck and rearward motion of the compactingelement would correspond to motion towards the front of the truck.Rearward motion of the compacting element in all cases corresponds tocompacting motion.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of theinvention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure, which do notconstitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a refuse truck comprising a chassis having a front end and a rearend, a cab mounted on the front end, a refuse storage body having anopen end mounted on the rear end of the chassis, a tall gate hopperhaving a refuse loading opening therein pivoted to the body and disposedto cover and uncover the open end thereof, and a movable refusecompacting element in said hopper, a compacting element actuatingassembly movably connected to said compacting element, comprising, incombination, a lazytongs linkage system having forward and rearwardends, said forward end connected to the truck and said rearward endconnected to the compacting element, and hydraulic means associated withthe truck adapted to impart motion to the linkage system, said motionbeing translated by the linkage system into forward or rearward motionof the compacting element.

2. In a refuse truck comprising a chassis having a front end and a rearend, a cab mounted on the front end, a refuse storage body having anopen end mounted on the rear end of the chassis, a tail gate hopperhaving a refuse loading opening therein pivoted to the body and disposedto cover and uncover the open end thereof, and a movable refusecompacting element in said hopper, a compacting element actuatingassembly movably connected to said compacting element, comprising, incombination, a lazytongs linkage system having forward and rearwardends, said forward end connected to the truck and said rearward endconnected to the compacting element, and hydraulic means associated withthe truck adapted to impart motion to the linkage system, said motionbeing translated by the linkage system into forward or rearward motionof the compacting element, said compacting element actuating assemblyfurther including a ramming bracket mounted on the compacting element,said rearward end of the linkage system slidably connected to thebracket, a supporting pedestal mounted on the truck, said forward end ofthe linkage system movably connected to the pedestal and supportedthereby, and said hydraulic means being a hydraulically References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,601,931 7/1952 Dunham et al. 214--514 X2,695,110 11/1954 Feidert 214-833 X 6 7/1961 Kughler 214-514 4/ 1964Farley et al. 1/1966 Clar 214-833 5 ALBERT I. MAKAY, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

